


A Recorded Life Mini-Sequel

by alltimelilly



Series: A Recorded Life [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Post Reveal, Post-Relationship, Sequel, Youtube AU, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltimelilly/pseuds/alltimelilly
Summary: A 10 part mini-sequel to A Recorded Life. Experience our favorite heroes lives a few months after the defeat of Hawkmoth, and also get a peek at a few years later. Experience it all through Marinette's eyes in her recorded life!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chat Noir/Ladybug
Series: A Recorded Life [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956922
Comments: 56
Kudos: 106





	1. 1 - A Few Months Later

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Summary: A few months after Hawkmoth's arrest and Fu's decision to make Marinette the new guardian, the crew has a lot going on. Between school, all types of work, and trying to hide from the world the heroes are still around, what could go wrong? At least there's a little break with Marinette's newest video.
> 
> Note: Hello! Welcome all to the A Recorded Life Mini-Sequel! This is going to be a 10 chapter series. The series will be split into two main parts, the first few being a few months after the end of A Recorded Life, and the second part being a few years down the line. It's gonna be fun and I hope you enjoy!

Marinette ran as fast as she could down the sidewalk. She ran late leaving a design class, got to the bakery with just enough time to throw her stuff in her room, then grabbed her other bag to get on her way.

She checked her phone every ten seconds to keep an eye on the time, knowing she would be late no matter what. She did consider transforming into Ladybug for the fast commute, but figured it was too busy and bright out, and the world doesn't know they're still around just yet.

Finally, Marinette rushed through the revolving doors to dodge countless people as she ran to the elevator. She pressed the button as fast as she could, as many times as she could, knowing that wouldn't make the elevator come any faster.

Once the elevator door opened, she had to move out of the way for six people to make their (slow) exit. The last person in the elevator laughed at her. "You're late," She said as she exited.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Chloé, I know!" Marinette said as she pushed the button to the top floor.

The elevator couldn't move fast enough up the floors. Luckily, since she was going up, she didn't get stopped on other floors. As soon as she landed on her floor and the doors opened, she ran out, and to the room, she knows too well. Without knocking, she burst in. "I'm here!" She yelled.

"Ah, there she is!" Jagged Stone's voice called from somewhere in the suite. "Called it. Thirteen minutes on the dot," He joked as he rounded the corner with a big smile.

"No need to rub it in!" Alya's voice echoed, a little annoyed.

Marinette groaned. "Were you guys making bets again?" She asked as she and Jagged walked over to the big couch where Alya was setting up the camera.

"They were," Adrien said. "Penny and I know better just to let you get here when you get here," He smirked and stood up to hug his girlfriend. "How was school?"

"Stressful," She nodded. "Lots of work to do this week, but this gives me an excuse to take my mind off it all," Marinette reminded him. "So let's not talk about that now, let's film our video!"

"I think the fans might've caught on to what we're doing," Alya laughed. "The picture with Jagged gave too much away."

Marinette shrugged as she got out her notebooks and extra filming supplies. "Oh well, gives the fans something to look forward to. They need it," She said. "Ever since school started, I've had to slow down making videos, so giving them some hints makes them happy."

The group agreed with her reasoning, and Adrien laughed. "I'm still surprised you're making videos. With your workload, I don't know how you do it," He complimented. "Imagine if we had Hawkmoth to fight, too," He chuckled.

"Good thing we took care of that before we started University," Marinette sighed with big eyes. "I'm ready whenever you guys are," She motioned to the camera.

"Ready back here," Alya said as she monitored the camera and audio.

Jagged smiled wide. "Then let's begin!"

After getting one last confirmation nod from Marinette, Alya counted down to give them their cue. "Hi! I'm Marinette!" Marinette started the video. "It's been a while since we've had a video that wasn't related to fashion and school, but here we are, back with a fan favorite series, _Adrien vs. Jobs_!" She announced and Alya, Adrien, Jagged, and Penny all clapped as her audience. "Today our special guest is Jagged Stone, kind of obvious since he's right here, but we're all excited!"

"Oh, it's going to be a good one today, rockers," He smiled. "Making a song with Adrien Agreste?"

"Name a better crossover!" Alya shouted from behind the camera. "Truly iconic."

After a short fit of giggles, Marinette grabbed her notebook while Jagged held the guitar. "Adrien, what do you know about music?"

Adrien looked confused and furrowed his eyebrows. "I played piano and I mostly enjoyed it," He said.

"I meant rock music," Jagged explained further.

"Oh, well, not too much. I've listened to you for years and Nino DJs but not much past that," He admitted. "Oh! And for a hot minute, I played with Luka and Juleka's band, but that was short-lived."

Jagged nodded. "Right, that's okay," He said. "We'll work on lyrics together and you just tell me if what I play sounds good. Maybe we can add a keyboard backtrack," He said.

Marinette mainly sat to the side observing, but she also took notes of anything that was said that they wanted to remember. The entire session of writing their song only took a few hours, and since Marinette has a big memory card, she was able to record nearly all of it (sure, they stopped recording at times when things got boring).

It was a shorter song, not a whole three minutes, but it still took time to come up with. At first, they started with random words and lines strung together, but as they got a little ways in, it started to sound like something that could have come straight from Adrien. Once they realized that, they dedicated the song to his mom and made it like a gift to her. They tried their hardest to make it an uplifting song, not wanting anything sad, and though it was emotional, they were able to make it have the _Jagged Touch_ of a rock song. 

It was almost like a letter to Emilie, but was just vague enough that anyone could relate to it and enjoy the song, but true fans would know the meaning. They were even able to get some keyboard to back up the guitar.

In the end, Marinette had tons of footage she could edit down (and maybe even release uncut one day) to make a special video, with the live performance of the song at the end. The fans would be so excited to see a new video with all of their favorite people in it, not just Marinette making a new outfit; even though they also enjoy that.

"So, Jagged, do you think Adrien could do this job?" Marinette asked at the end of the video.

"Parts of it. Maybe a lyricist," He smiled. "You know what? We should get into the studio and make this an official song and release it for real!" Jagged jumped up. "Not even a question, it has to happen. And we donate the sales to charity," He said.

Adrien jumped up as well. "I'm ready whenever!" He said.

Marinette smiled and shook her head at their excitement, then looked at the camera. "Well, keep an eye out for that! Check in the description for where to buy the song," She said. "And don't forget to check everyone out on social media, also linked in the description. Thank you for watching, and we will see you next time!" She ended the video, knowing everything to come from this was going to be amazing.

Immediately after, Jagged and Adrien got to work on making it an official song. And the fans ate it up.


	2. 2 - Life Updates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School is back into the schedule and everyone is busy. Marinette uses a school project as an easy way to get a video done and Alya pops by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I'm so sorry for going MIA the past few weeks but school has been kicking my butt with projects. School comes first, tho! Hoping to get back into regular updates but my semester is about halfway over and teachers are picking things up. Keep an eye on tumblr/wattpad if things get postponed!   
> Also the ending sounds ominous but trust me it isn't, I just wanted a good way to wrap things up.

A few months into the school year

Adrien was still living with Marinette and her family. Though now he would have the mansion all to himself, he didn't want to be there. It was filled with harsh memories, and he couldn't even think about looking at the pictures of his father. Instead, he let Gorilla live there, rent-free and happy. He still accompanied Adrien when he went to Agreste Fashion, but he also knew Adrien could take care of himself. 

But he couldn't leave Adrien alone after losing his mother, father, and closest thing to another parental figure. Gorilla was still there for him, picking Adrien up in the morning to get him to school, picking him up from school, and taking him wherever he needs, whether it be the offices or back to the bakery.

Marinette and her parents love having Adrien around. Tom and Sabine knew how hard it is for him, and letting him stay with them brought some normalcy into his life. Plus, he really enjoyed learning how to cook with them and even helping out in the bakery when it gets busy. They loved walking out into the living room to see the kids watching movies or playing video games, and waking up in the morning to find they fell asleep in the middle of their TV binge-watching time, all cuddled together.

Though it was more of an adjustment, Tom and Sabine also loved the Kwamis. Tikki is very sweet, and they love having Plagg taste test new ideas. Since Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't needed as much anymore, they're more like pets, but that doesn't change the love everyone has for them. Now with Marinette as the guardian of Paris' Miraculous, every so often, she lets them all come out to get a breath of fresh air. Being stuck in a box has _got_ to be boring, and it's a lot of fun to see all the Kwami's interact.

Adrien loved the freedom of university and getting to study business. It was a lot to take on, but he was really excited to take Agreste Fashion in a better direction once he learned more and more. He may not be officially running it right now, and the COO is acting as CEO; he does get a lot of say in the way things go. When he first started, he immediately stripped Agreste Fashion of his father's name, and _Gabriel_ is nowhere to be found; he will not let his father's bad choices run this business any longer.

While Adrien was having a great time with school, Marinette was stressing. Of course, she loved everything she was doing in her classes. She was finally able to take her designs to the next level and learn more than she could teach herself. Adrien already promised her a job at Agreste Fashion, but she's determined to earn her place and work her way up by herself.

Marinette had a busy week with a big project due. Since she's been distancing herself from videos (still posting at least weekly!), she figured to take advantage of the situation. Marinette had her camera set up to shoot the mannequin she was working on, and another camera pointed at her desk to get different shots for what part she was focusing on. She wouldn't post the video until after she got her grade back, but it never hurts to shoot something in advance.

As Marinette was carefully pinning a piece of fabric, she jumped at the sound of the trap door opening. "Ah!" She shouted when she poked herself. "Oh, Alya," She calmed down. "You scared me."

"I can see," She giggled. "I came to check up on you and bring you a smoothie," She offered her gift with a big smile. "And I wanted to see your work!"

Marinette gladly took the drink and nodded. "Thanks, nowhere near done yet. I'm recording the process for a video."

Alya gasped, acting offended. "And you're doing that without me, your camera operator?" 

"You've been busy, too; I didn't want to stop you!" Marinette reasoned.

"Good point, but I'm going to sit here and _help_ ," She sat and sat on the chaise against the wall. Pulling out her laptop, Alya smiled. "I brought work with me. We can both work loving the company of each other," She said.

Marinette smirked as she got back to work. "Missing Nino?"

"Like you'd never imagine," Alya groaned back. "We talk all the time, but it's not the same. How's Adrien?"

"Honestly, better than I expected. He spends a decent amount of time at Agreste Fashion, but is always back in time for dinner. Speaking of, you want to stay?" Marinette offered, and Alya nodded in response. She yelled down to her mom to ask if it was okay, which Sabine said _absolutely_.

Alya started typing away at her computer to work on a paper while still making conversation with Marinette. "How are you all adjusting? I know Nino, Chloé, and I have gotten over most of it, but I'm sure it's different for you guys."

"Oh, you know, we're still working through it. Adrien sees a therapist, as expected, and it helps. I think it just takes time, and school is definitely helping as a distraction. I can't imagine what will happen if Nathalie tries to contact him, but last we heard, she moved to the States when she was released. They made a compromise that she'd finish out community service there, especially since Gorilla said it would be more damaging to Adrien to have her still in Paris," Marinette rambled. "But other than that, good!" Marinette sighed, glad that she would be narrating the video in the editing phase.

Alya nodded. "I'm still shocked that he was a witness in court," She said. "But I'm glad he was. Though I don't believe her ' _I was forced to!'_ defense, at least she won't be near us," Alya said. "It's a shame; she seemed nice. Well, before we found out."

Marinette shook her head with a slight laugh. "She scared me from the beginning. But so did Gabriel," Marinette reflected. They went back to work, having a few remarks here and there, and soon enough, they were called down for dinner. "Oh, Adrien, hey!" Marinette smiled when she got downstairs to see that Adrien was home, and had been, as he helped with dinner.

"Sorry I snuck in," He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Hey, Alya, how are things?"

\---

_ahhhh i love Marinette's designs so much thEYRE BEAUTIFUL_

_when is this going to be in stores?? i need it like yesterday_

_I wonder when Adrien will give her a job at agreste fashion. we all know he wants to. but w h e n. I need my fashion power couple to take over the world_

_I loved Alya just chilling in the back, that's friendship. working independently but together (also is anyone else trying to figure out what they were talking about??)  
_ _> Marinette Design's Reply_  
Oh trust me it's nothing interesting. Just getting caught back up about school and life!

_I'm so happy when you upload! Thanks Mari, hope you all are doing well._

_I HEAR A NINO TRACK IN THE BACKGROUND IM SEEING HIM WITH JAGGED IN A FEW WEEKS AHHHHHH_

_one day we'll get a vlog from Marinette preparing for her first big time fashion show. With Adrien as a model. Manifesting it._

Marinette snickered as she read through the comments from her most recent video, and even replied to a few. She was waiting for Adrien to finish getting ready so they could head out for their date, and she was highly entertained by the comments. Only a few more minutes passed before Adrien came from the bathroom in a green sweater with a big smile on his face. "Ready to go, Milady?" He asked and held his arm out for her to take.

Marinette nodded and linked their arms. She was wearing a casual dress with leggings, looking nice but not being overdressed. They were excited to have a nice dinner together and act like a normal couple, which they never really had. They left the Kwamis at home and were ready to enjoy the evening, ready for a night for just them. Gorilla picked them up and drove them to the restaurant, and they only had two rules for tonight: No discussing past superhero adventures, and stay off the phones so they can enjoy each other's company.

The rules were easy to follow, as all they wanted to do was sit, talk, and eat. Maybe their lives would go back to normal faster than they thought. They were happy and excited for the future, and both were happy to talk about _anything_ else than the trauma they have suffered. 

Marinette, however, did miss running around on rooftops with her cat.


	3. 3 - One Year After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the year anniversary after Hawkmoth's defeat, the team reflects and meets up. Something is off with Marinette, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let Team Miraculous be happy. That's what this chapter is. Maybe a little content warning on grief and sadness, but there is a happy ending. Also, this is the last of the part that takes place directly after Hawkmoth's defeat, the following chapters will be a few years later. I'm super excited for that!

While Sabine plated up breakfast for her, Tom, Marinette, and Adrien, they listened to the morning news. It was a Saturday, so there wasn't much to be done during the day. Scattered homework, hopes of filming a new video, and maybe play some video games. But that was a normal Saturday; this one hit much harder.

 _"Don't be bemused; it's just the news!_ " Nadja introduced the program. " _A year ago today was the miraculous day where our favorite superhero took down Hawkmoth. I can speak for all of France when I say thank you to Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee. It has been a while since we've seen them around, but it is no secret that they deserve the break, and crime rates have been down. Thank you, our Miraculous heroes_ ," Nadja said before it switched to a different topic.

Adrien and Marinette ate their cereal in silence as they listened to her talk, but never looked at the TV. It was going to be an emotional day to think back on, and it had already been an emotional year. But they wouldn't change the way things went down; as hard as it was for Adrien to lock his father up, he couldn't let him destroy Paris.

"Would you like us to do anything for you guys?" Tom asked them, finally breaking the silence.

Marinette shook her head. "Oh, no, thanks, dad," She said. "We're meeting up with the team a little later. It's been a while since we've all been together," Marinette nodded.

"Alright, well, you let us know," Tom smiled. Marinette's parents said they would be down in the bakery, and they exited to leave the kids alone.

"How are you feeling?" Marinette asked Adrien.

Adrien only shrugged in response, taking another bite of his food. "Kinda numb, you know?" Adrien said. "I thought I would be sadder, especially after talking to my therapist this week. But I'm still mad at him," He explained.

Marinette put her hand on Adrien's shoulder to comfort him. "And that's perfectly okay, you know that," She said.

Though Adrien was mad, he still felt guilty. He was the reason his dad was in jail, and he can't help but think if his mother really would be back if he let Hawkmoth make his wish. He also felt guilty that he hasn't once visited his father after a year nor talked to Nathalie since she moved away. Everyone always reminded Adrien he had nothing to feel guilty about and that his father didn't _deserve_ to see Adrien, but no matter how much he was told, he still felt it. He couldn't help it.

The Kwami's came flying into the room at record speed. "Morning, guys!" Plagg said and quickly flew into the fridge to eat a piece of cheese.

"How are you guys?" Tikki flew up to them.

"The usual," Marinette answered for both of them. "I think seeing the team will be helpful. Nino has a lot of stories from tour to tell us, too," Marinette said.

A small smile appeared on Adrien's face. "I can't wait to see him; it's been so long," He awed, and the two of them finished breakfast. Once they were done, they headed to the nearby park where so many memories were made. Countless photoshoots, school projects, and Akuma fights happened at the park. Adrien and Marinette set down their blanket and waited for the others to show up. There was going to be a celebratory ceremony later in the day, but the team wanted to catch up before then.

Chloé arrived only ten minutes after Adrien and Marinette did, and Alya and Nino were not too far behind her, either. They sat on the large blanket, and all seemed to take a deep breath, taking in the last year and how much their lives, and Paris, has changed.

"What's on your mind, Marinette?" Alya snapped her out of her stare.

"Oh, it's not important," She sighed. "I'm glad we could all get together. I know we've all been busy, but I've missed the team," Marinette said.

"I agree," Adrien piped up. "We're all so busy and focused we need to make sure we can see each other all together more often. The team's got to stick together," Adrien said, much like a leader.

Everyone agreed, and put their hands in to _pound-it_ , even though life was hectic with school and jobs, sticking together was most important with stressful times.

Nino told them stories of touring with Jagged Stone, and how amazing it had been. Chloé talked about her classes and things she was learning, and her plans for after she graduated. Alya just got a raise at work, which showed the publishers must like her work. Adrien's working with the stand-in CEO to re-open Agreste Fashion, and Marinette was still stuck with school and video making. It was no lie when they said they were busy, and a damn good thing they defeated Hawkmoth before starting university. How would they have handled all the work and fight crime?

Mayor Bourgeois called attention to the stage in the park an hour after the team arrived. They all looked up to the statue that was installed not long after Hawkmoth's defeat, and he reminded Paris how important this day is. He recounted some of their hardest Akumas, and some statistics on how well Paris has been doing this past year. It was true they could finally relax... but it all seemed too weird to just sit back.

\---

That night, Adrien and Marinette went out for a nice dinner to treat themselves and take their mind off things. It was a day to celebrate, wasn't it? They didn't talk much about the day, just about life, and they were happy to be spending time together. It was a day for celebration, but it was still an emotional toll. 

"So we were talking, and we're thinking our big comeback will be- Mari, are you listening?" Adrien asked, ultimately ending his story about work.

Marinette shook her head and put her fork down. "Yes, I heard you. The comeback," She said. She was half listening, and felt terrible that she couldn't give her one-hundred-percent to Adrien.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked as he began to get worried.

"Nothing, I'm okay. So you were saying..." Marinette dragged on.

"No," Adrien said and sat back to look at her. "Something's wrong, tell me. You know you can trust me with anything, right?"

Marinette thought for a moment, but knew it was better to tell the truth. "I'm so thankful that we took down Hawkmoth. And I'm thankful that crime has gone down and Paris is a better city. But, do you ever miss it?" She asked, but clarified before Adrien could answer. "Not the Akumas or the crime. Just... _being_ Chat Noir and Ladybug. I loved hopping around on rooftops and meeting on the tallest part of the Eiffel Tower. It was exciting," Marinette confessed.

Adrien's worried face turned from a frown into a smile. "I think some excitement is exactly what we need. How about we pay the bill and go check on our city?" Adrien proposed, and Marinette eagerly nodded. He called the waiter over and handed him his card; then they rushed out into a semi-hidden spot between the buildings.

The Kwami's had clearly heard their conversation, and were just as excited. It was time to take such a traumatic experience and take it back to be something fun.

"Tikki,"

"Plagg,"

"Transform me!" They shouted simultaneously, and the familiar glow of red and green filled the small alleyway. Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo and propelled herself to the top of the building, Chat Noir on her tail.

She pulled her phone out and held it in one hand while holding the yo-yo in another. The skies were filled with giggles and screams of happiness as they ran from roof to roof. It was something both of them needed: the freedom from Hawkmoth and his fear-filled times, and using it to create new and happy memories. Though there was no need to fight any Akumas, that didn't mean they could have some fun.

After a while of swinging around and chasing each other, they ended up at the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug pointed the camera at Chat Noir, who was catching his breath, and he waved, then she turned it back to herself, a smile from ear to ear. 

She uploaded the video, and everyone all over the world was excited to see that their heroes never truly went away. It was nice to see them so happy in costumes that used to make them so sad.


	4. 4 - After Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after Hawkmoth's defeat, Adrien is officially CEO of Agreste Fashion, and Marinette his head designer. Maybe it's time to change up what Agreste Fashion is all about!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love domestic adrienette. Also, I was working on my marketing class homework before I wrote this...so yeah it talks a bit about marketing (but it works! bc adrien is a business major!!) Anyways I love adrien and mari

A few years later, after the group graduates.

Marinette sat at her desk, trying to finish a mockup on her laptop, her eyes heavy and her head drooping. Every few seconds, she would force her head back up to look at the screen and open her eyes wide, but that didn't stop her from being exhausted. But Marinette was determined to get this checked off her to-do list before she went home; that way, when she came back tomorrow, she wouldn't have to worry about it.

She got into the habit of drawing her ideas on paper and then transferring them to the computer, meaning there were always some touch-ups that needed to be done. Tikki sat on her desk near the corner, also close to being asleep as she continued to watch Marinette grow more and more tired.

"What are you doing?" She heard Adrien's deep voice enter her office.

"Finishing some last-minute fixes," Marinette said, not looking back at him.

"It's almost midnight," Adrien said. "You promised you would be done two hours ago," He sighed. Most people worked regular, eight hour days, but the CEO of the company and his head designer were a bit different, often working much later because they love what they do.

Marinette sighed, but didn't look away from the computer. "Lost track of time. Besides, you can't get mad at me; you're still here, too."

"Mari," Adrien put his hand on her shoulder. "I was at home waiting for you as you told me to, then came back because you weren't home yet," Adrien reminded her. "The computer will be here in the morning. Let's go home and get some sleep?" Adrien pleaded.

Marinette hit save on her computer when she heard how desperate Adrien was to get her to listen. She turned in her chair and stood up. "Fine, but only because you asked so nicely," She said and put her arms around Adrien's neck to give him a little peck before turning back to grab Tikki and her bag.

They each got into their separate cars and drove to their apartment building. Though they weren't superheroes anymore, they still wore their Miraculous jewelry and helped out when they were needed. Every so often, there's a hostage situation that they're called in for, or a mass robbery, but it was once in a blue moon. Truthfully, they liked having the company of the tiny gods, and it was a great way to keep the two most powerful Miraculous safe.

Marinette and Adrien parked next to each other and walked the staircase to their apartment. Originally, they were going to live in a townhouse that was a bit of a fixer-upper, but they waited too long. They were just about to move into the mansion, which neither of them really wanted to do, when they found a decent sized, third-floor apartment. Really, Adrien could afford more, but he didn't _want_ more. He just wanted to be with Marinette, and that's all that mattered. Of course, Tom and Sabine would be happy to have them, but they didn't want to get in Marinette's parent's way any longer.

"I barely saw you today; how was work?" Marinette asked as they walked.

"Actually pretty normal. Still answering lots of emails and working on the rebrand," Adrien told her. "Carly says I have to do more media work about hyping up this rebrand. But I don't really get it; we've been without my dad's name for years now. Why is it so important now?" Adrien sighed. He had been arguing with his assistant for days about this, still not understanding why it mattered so much.

Marinette shrugged. "Well, I think Carly is right," She said, and Adrien jokingly gasped like she was a traitor. "Sure, you've been _Agreste_ ever since we locked your dad up. But now that you've fully taken over as CEO, it's time to really brand it to you. It's already clear you've made some changes, and _Agreste Fashion_ is not what it used to be," Marinette tried to explain as she waited for him to unlock the door. "You let me and tons of other designers work their way up and change so much about _Agreste_. Now we cater to a younger audience, and that's already different than what your father ran. A whole new target market, which I think you, Mr. Business Degreee, would understand."

Adrien shook his head as he took his coat off and set his bag down on the floor. "I get that, our market has changed. But it's _been_ changing for years. It's not like we're changing the name of Agreste Fashion and turning it into something entirely different."

She stared at him as she listened to Adrien talk, giving him a look like he was dumb. "What?" Adrien asked.

"Do you hear yourself?" Marinette giggled. "Why not do that? Now is the perfect time to do exactly that!" She said. "You took over as full-time CEO only a few months ago, and now everything is settling into place. The name _Gabriel_ was wiped away the moment your father was exposed as Hawkmoth, and it's been _Agreste Fashion_ ever since. I think people see that and are still reminded of the dark times as Hawkmoth. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to change it and let people get a new sense of what _Agreste_ is all about. A new CEO, a new target market, new designers, why not get a new name?" Marinette tried to convince him.

By now, Plagg and Tikki were sitting at their designated spots in the living room, listening to the conversation. They weren't arguing, not at all, just tossing around ideas and trying to make sense of both sides. 

Adrien knew Marinette was right. Ever since _Gabriel_ became just _Agreste Fashion_ , there was still that stigma around it, even if Gabriel was in jail. Though, he had never even thought about it like that. "You have a good point," Adrien admitted.

"I know," Marinette smirked and moved to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "Think about it, _Gabriel_ was run by Paris's supervillain. Now, it's run by Paris's super _hero_ ," Marinette said. "Find something that shows that, instead of the darkness and weird butterfly undertones, make it something light and hopeful," She said.

"Well, I guess I'll just call it _Marinette's_!" Adrien said, moving his hands like he was picturing a marquee.

"No," She shot it down quickly. "Though I appreciate the thought, _no_."

Adrien nodded, knowing she wouldn't approve. "It was worth a try. But that means we have to find something that is marketable and also different from my father, because if we change the name, we have to rebrand everything. The website, business cards, tags on clothes, it has to _work_ , you know?" Adrien said. Really, they could save this discussion until tomorrow. Both of them were tired and had a busy few days coming up. But neither of them would admit it, it was something important to both of them, and they would probably talk about it until they went to sleep.

Adrien started walking towards their bedroom, and Marinette followed. He took off his button-down with a tank-top underneath as he began to getting ready for bed. "Hmm," Marinette said from her side of the room. "You want something light, hopeful, different from your father, marketable, and what people will like?" Marinette asked, repeating his descriptors from earlier.

"Yes, I think those are my only needs for this rebrand." He nodded and looked over at her.

"Adrien," Marinette turned to him. "Name it after your mother."


	5. 5 - Timelapse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day at the office for Marinette and Adrien, and Marinette even has some time to record a video! Afterward, they run into some trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are back in business! Thank you everyone for being patient with my hiatus, the end of my school semester kicked my butt, then holidays kept me busy. I hope everyone had great holidays and a happy new year! I loved writing this chapter and I'm excited to be back at this story. Halfway done with the sequel!

It was a slow day for Marinette. She didn't have any deadlines coming up too soon, and actually had a day to breathe and just work. For the first time in a few weeks, she even had time to set her camera up to record her process of working on her mockup design on a mannequin. Like the good ol' days, she'd timelapse the video and do a voice over for her fans.

Sure, her team would come in to ask questions and get some help, but those were usually easy answers. It seemed like the universe was giving her an easy day, which was a nice difference.

As for Adrien, it was a little different. Ever since he decided on the rebrand of _Agreste Fashion_ to _Emilie's_ , Adrien and his marketing and branding team had been working around the clock to get everything switched over. There were new logos that had to be made, followed by a new look for the website, business cards for everyone employed, and coming up with the perfect tags for clothing. To say it was stressful was an understatement, and they had planned to release the rebrand fully in a week. 

It had already been a few weeks of working on the rebrand, and it was taking longer than anyone expected. Though stressful, they were very excited for _Agreste Fashion_ to change and evolve.

Plagg had gotten bored of listening to Adrien talk about the perfect font and flew through floors and walls to get to Marinette's office. She always had extra cheese in her lunch bag (and it was unguarded, unlike Adrien, who likes to pace Plagg). Plus, Plagg enjoyed talking to Tikki and watching Marinette work when she was focused. 

Plagg flew through the wall with a big smile. "Hi, Marinette!" He said and flew past her to land on her desk to sit next to Tikki.

"Hello, Plagg," She greeted, "Get tired of Adrien?"

"He was driving me crazy, asking me which font looked better. If it's not camembert, I don't care!" He crossed his arms, then got up to go find the cheese he was thinking of.

Marinette chuckled and turned away from her work for a second. "At least he's asking you, and he's taking this thing seriously. I swear, he's never thought about fonts more before this," She said.

"I'm proud of him," Tikki said, "Even though Plagg is bored of it, I love the changes Adrien is making. It will fit the company much better," Tikki added.

"I agree; it's going to be a great look," She said and stepped back to look at her work. It was getting to where she wanted it to be, though there were always changes she could make. She was excited to be recording a process, as it has been a while, and was looking for something new to post to her fashion channel. Sure, every so often, she could post things about unfinished projects, or after lines were launched, but there wasn't too much she could do.

On her second channel, though, she was more active. Not as much as she used to be, but there were still things she enjoyed posting there. She and Adrien played a lot of video games, and whenever she saw Alya, they tried to do something fun. Outings, games, storytimes, they always had fun creating videos. One time, they got Adrien to work at the hotel with Chloé for one of the fan's favorite series, and it was determined he could _not_ do that job.

"See, I think it will be good. It's just such a boring process," Plagg complained as he ate his cheese.

Marinette shook her head at him. "I know, it can be a lot of work to sit and listen to Adrien figure things out," She joked. "Give him a break and let him just talk it out; he'll get through it all eventually," She reminded Plagg. Before she could get too much more work done, there was a knock at her office door.

"Good afternoon, Marinette. Would you mind coming to see our sketches for approval?" Two of her team members asked. She was the team lead; she had to approve of everything for her lines and work.

"Of course," She smiled and paused the recording on her camera. "Tikki, don't let Plagg eat it all. Save some for dinner!" Marinette warned as she walked out of her office.

\---

Adrien was exhausted. He liked to be out of the office at a decent time, but he was still there later than he wanted to be with so much going on. Finally, he forced himself to close out of his document and head home. Surely, Marinette was already home and waiting for him.

His thoughts were wrong as he walked through the central part of the office and spotted her light still on. With a sigh, he shook his head and headed to greet her. Adrien knocked on the door, but she didn't look up. Adrien pushed the door in slowly. "Marinette," He said, making her jump slightly.

"Oh, hey, Adrien!" She smiled, "I'm still working on my video; you heading out?" She asked.

"I am, and so are you," He walked over and stopped the recording. "It's getting late; let's grab a late-night snack and get some sleep," Adrien said.

Marinette gave in much easier than last time, as much as she wished she could keep working. If it weren't for Adrien, she would probably spend all night working on her designs and mockups. "Alright, what snack are you thinking?" She smirked.

The Kwamis quickly flew to their respectful spots in bags as Adrien and Marinette locked up the office. As Marinette began to walk to her car, Adrien grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let's walk to that place around the corner. It's a nice night, and I think we both could use some fresh air," Adrien said.

"Good idea, Adrien," Marinette replied, and the two of them walked in the opposite direction of their cars. Though it was dark, Adrien was right about it being a nice night, and they both _definitely_ needed to walk and smell the air. Since they don't run around on rooftops anymore, they could use the breaks.

As they rounded the corner, Marinette fell behind as she heard something hit the ground, assuming it was something from her purse.

She glanced down and realized it was not hers, and decided to keep on walking. But before she could get too far, someone grabbed her arm. "Ah!" She yelled.

Adrien's head shot around fast enough to give him whiplash. "Mari!" He started to walk towards her, but someone grabbed him too, preventing him from getting any closer.


	6. 6 - Like Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette are approached by a random group and have to resort to what they know. What did these people want and how will they handle it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lowkey loved this chapter. I can't believe we're already so close to the end of the sequel!

Adrien looked at who was holding Marinette and noticed their face was covered, and no one had said anything to indicate what they wanted or what they were going to do. Not wanting to take any chances or give them a moment to speak, he opened his mouth to say some words he hasn't said in defense for years.

"Plagg, claws out!" He called, and a bright green light filled the alleyway.

Adrien had become Chat Noir only when they were truly needed. They're only called in when something big happens, and they're asked to, never forced. Adrien hasn't turned into Chat Noir with this feeling of _Chat Noir or nothing_ since the fights with Hawkmoth, and he wasn't going to risk losing anyone else.

Chat Noir appeared in front of Marinette and the strange men, and as he pushed himself off of the person holding him, he noticed Marinette was being guided down the street. "Cataclysm!" He yelled and ran after her. "Let her go, I am not afraid to use this," He threatened. The man only stared at him, and Chat Noir squatted down to touch the ground. It shook the ground enough that the man lost grip on Marinette, and she rushed over next to her partner.

Before the man could catch his balance, a red light filled the streets, and now Ladybug was standing next to Chat Noir. "Lucky charm!" She yelled, and a polka dot paper bag landed in her hands. She looked at it, confused, but ready to figure the puzzle out.

Suddenly, the masked people started cheering when they looked at Chat Noir and Ladybug standing next to each other, ready to fight. "Yes!" One yelled and pumped his fist.

The two heroes looked at each other, a bit confused, but not letting their guard down. "What is this?" Chat Noir growled at the men.

"They are still around! Now we have proof!" A new voice joined the group and walked out from behind a car. This one was holding a large camera, pointed at Chat Noir and Ladybug. 

Chat Noir grabbed the man closest to him by the shirt, forcing him to look Chat Noir in the eyes. "What is going on?" He demanded.

The man put his hands up in defense. "We just wanted to see how it worked and confirm the heroes are still here," He said, then pulled up his mask. They were younger than Marinette and Adrien, but old enough to have some common sense, so why did they think this was a good idea?

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "You are in so much trouble," She said and walked up to the others who were standing by the guy with a camera. "I will be taking that," She said and snatched the camera, and while the kid protested, she didn't care. She walked back to Chat Noir and patted his shoulder. "He's not worth it; let's just get home." 

Chat Noir shoved the man away from him and grumbled a few words that they couldn't hear. Ladybug threw the bag up into the air, and the road was cleaned up. Swiftly, Chat Noir put his arm around Ladybug and swung away, still holding the camera.

It actually hadn't been too long since Chat Noir, and Ladybug last made an appearance. They were out only six months ago to help the police station with a hostage issue, and though they have a lot of fans and paparazzi to obsess over them, they never thought that some fans would go this far to check it out for themselves.

They detransformed when they reached their apartment, and Plagg immediately went into a rant about how stupid those people were while Tikki tried to calm him down. Marinette tossed the camera on the table, hoping it would be easy to get rid of the footage. She quickly sent a text to Alya to see when she was available to look at it with her, but didn't want to think about it anymore.

"I can't stand people sometimes," Adrien complained as he opened the fridge. They were going to have a nice night, relaxing and spending time together, but now he was just frustrated. "Who thinks it's a good idea to try and force our powers out? Don't they know how dangerous my _cataclysm_ can be?" 

"Some people just don't think," Marinette offered as a response, not happy with that reasoning either.

"What if I didn't use my _cataclysm_ on the ground? What if I used it on one of _them_ before we found out they weren't going to hurt us?" Adrien said, not finding anything good in the fridge and slamming the door shut.

Marinette shrugged, not sure how to calm him down since she was also angry. "I don't know," She said. "But at least that didn't happen, and no one got hurt. I texted Alya to see if she can help me get the footage off the camera."

Adrien nodded, taking a deep breath. He heard his phone buzz and pulled it out to read the countless notifications that quickly came across: hundreds of Twitter notifications tagging him and work associates texting him. He opened up Twitter, closed his eyes, and threw his phone across the room.

"Is everything okay?" Marinette rushed to his side.

He turned back to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. "Guess we don't need to get the footage off that camera," He said. "Seems like they had it upload somewhere else simultaneously and posted it online." 

Marinette took a deep breath while taking in this news. She only nodded, and opened up the cabinet to grab their two biggest wine glasses. "So I guess we don't need Alya's help, then," She sighed. "Why does this remind me so much of when we were first outed?"

"Same stupidness that kid had, too," Adrien replied. "Well, at least we've dealt with this before. We can do it again," Adrien said. "But this time, with some help," He smirked and shook the wine bottle.


	7. 7 - Our Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a day off for Marinette and Adrien. To celebrate, they decide to capture it on video for their fans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> domestic adrienette domestic adrienette domestic adrienette!!! my fave. Sorry for missing two weeks, been busy! Only 3 more chapters of the sequel (also there's a hint to the next chapter at the end of this one wink)

Nowadays, Marinette and Adrien rarely slept in. They were constantly going with work and life, but they decided to treat themselves today by getting extra sleep. The rebrand is almost complete, meaning both Adrien and Marinette will get to breathe for a few days. The main stuff was done, like the website, displays, tags, and business cards, among other smaller things. 

He was getting a little nervous, but excited, as the final day got closer. They planned a fashion show to truly ring in the new era of _Agreste Fashion_ , now called _Emilie's_ , with Marinette and her team's line as the first official _Emilie's_ line. They also reworked some fan-favorite clothing to make them fit the brand better while getting rid of Gabriel's name. It was going to be an exciting day, seeing the old and the new mix together. But there were still a few weeks until that day; there was still work to be done.

However, it was Saturday, and both Marinette and Adrien decided they could have a few extra hours of sleep. Adrien rolled out of bed earlier than Marinette and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. It was nothing crazy, just some eggs, because they agreed to stop by their favorite bakery to see her parents and enjoy a well-deserved macaron. Or two.

Marinette followed him into the kitchen when she smelled the eggs, her hair still unbrushed and in her pajamas. "Smells good, Adrien," She yawned.

"I'm glad. Time for a quick breakfast so we can go see your parents," He said as he slid the plate over to her seat. 

Marinette nodded and took a bite. "You know, I was thinking," She said, carefully. "I wanted to put up a video like we used to do. Maybe we could vlog our day, or at least some of it? One of our first days in a long time that we haven't been so busy with work. Heck, I don't think either of us has had a day out of the office in at least two weeks."

A big smile formed on Adrien's face. "I think that's a great idea, Mari!" He hopped up and walked to the corner of the living room that had Marinette's desk. He grabbed her camera battery off the charger, then her camera bag, and brought it back over. Marinette _would_ have gotten it herself, but sometimes, Adrien beats her to it.

She thanked him for the camera as she got her settings flipped to the right ones, then held it up. "Hi! I'm Marinette!" She waved at the camera, with Adrien waving behind her. "I know I look like a mess right now, but on our day off, we wanted to vlog! It's been so long since I've done a video like this, so I'm excited to give you guys some insight on how we've been recently."

"I made eggs," Adrien held his place up with a big grin when Marinette paused. 

"And they're lovely, thank you, Adrien," Marinette admired. He set his plate back down, clearly proud of himself.

"Well, we're going to finish breakfast, then head over to our favorite bakery in the world! I'm sure we'll check back in then," Adrien said, Marinette nodding with him, and she shut the camera off.

Marinette and Adrien finished their eggs quickly and got their morning routines done. They were out the door by eleven o'clock, which to most people meant they barely slept in, but sleeping past eight was glorious for them.

Marinette got the camera back out when they were in the car. It wasn't too far of a drive to get to her parent's, but it was just long enough that the car was needed, and she had some time to talk to her camera. "We're in the car now, and let me just say, my stomach has been aching for some sweets recently. We've been so busy we haven't had time to go get anything other than what's in our fridge or the late-night store around the corner from _Emilie's_ ," Marinette rambled.

"Well, when we get to work at six or seven in the morning, and we stay past dinner time, we don't _have_ the time to go there, and most other places are closed when we head out," Adrien said. "Don't get me wrong, I love what we're doing, but it sure is tiring."

"Once the rebrand is done, hopefully we'll have a more normal schedule," Marinette said. "Long days, but it'll be worth it."

Adrien agreed. They continued rambling about work all the way until they parked near the bakery. It had only been a few weeks since she last saw her parents, but it was always nice to see them and talk about life, no matter how long it had been. Her parents tried to stuff them full of all kinds of sweets while listening to Marinette talk about how excited and exhausted she was about her team's line, and Adrien talked about how pleased he is with changing the brand to remember his mom. They had front row seats to the fashion show, and couldn't wait to see it all come alive.

Marinette did record some of her parents and the bakery, but they just talked most of the time. They closed for lunch, so there was all the time they needed before Marinette and Adrien had to leave; well, they didn't want the bakery to be closed for the whole day.

They ran a few errands, like grabbing a few groceries, and Marinette can never resist picking up some swatches when they pass her favorite store. They checked out a few shops that should have received the new displays and were able to see them getting set up. 

What was truly special, though, was their evening. They ordered a pizza for a movie night so they could fully relax. Plagg snacked on his cheese while Tikki sat in her little bed on the table so Marinette and Adrien could finish setting up. Marinette walked over to the hidden safe in the closet and opened it, pulling out the special box. She set it on the coffee table and opened it, letting all the Kwamis out to play. 

Usually, she tries to let them out at least once a week. But with them being so busy lately, it has been a lot less. The Kwamis love her and Adrien and understand; they're just excited to come out to see them and Plagg and Tikki, and they were even more excited to hear about movie night. A strange idea to their magical creatures, but they all seemed to love it all the same. Though they did miss Trixx, Pollen, and Wayzz, the rest of them knew they were having a good time with their masters, and they were able to enjoy themselves.

Marinette scrolled through the streaming services to find the perfect movie while all the Kwamis got comfortable around the couch and little pet beds. As she waited for Adrien to come back from the kitchen with pizza boxes and their drinks, she pulled out her camera for one last update to their vlog.

"Well, here we are to end the night! Adrien and I are relaxing with a movie and pizza, and it's a great way to end our first full day off. It's a nice break, but I'm excited to get back to work. Can't wait for all of you to see what we've been working on!" She said. Marinette was extra thankful that Kwamis are not visible on camera, because it would have looked crazy with all the little animals sat around her.

"I can't either!" Adrien popped in, setting the food on the table, then kissing Marinette's cheek. "This was fun; we should make more videos when we have time."

"I would love it, and I'm sure they would, too," Marinette gestured to the camera. "But that's it for today. Make sure to follow us in the description and be ready for some more videos, hopefully soon!" Marinette said, and both of them waved as she ended the recording. She would have to find time to edit it, maybe tomorrow before work.

Marinette and Adrien began digging into the pizza as she pressed play on the movie; both she and Adrien cuddled up to one another, all the Kwamis filled in around them.

As always, she was ecstatic to see some of the replies on the video. It was one of the things she missed most about not uploading as often.

_I've missed these type of videos so much! I would LOVE more when you guys aren't busy!!_

_Seeing them happy makes me so happy. I'm so glad their lives are turning out great after everything they dealt with as teenagers_

_did you guys see that those guys who forced them into lb and cn got charged? DESERVED! But I'm so glad you guys are alright after that, it looks like you had a fun day_

_PLEASE TELL ME YOURE GOING TO RECORD ALYA AND NINOS WEDDING I CANT WAIT FOR THEM TO GET MARRIED ITS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL_

_I can't wait to say I have clothes from Emilie's! Such a beautiful meaning behind the name change and I can't wait to own a Marinette design from Emilie's instead of Agreste Fashion. We knew this day would come! (I know she's been designing for them for a while, but this is different guys)_


End file.
